The Prince's Heart (Solangelo Royalty AU)
by the-lunar-thief
Summary: The time has come for Prince Nico to search for a bride, and King Hades is pressuring him to begin courting neighbouring Princesses and Ladies of various courts - but the arrival of a new servant in the kingdom has Nico feeling conflicted.
1. Chapter 1

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter One**

Prince Nico had spent almost the entire evening hiding in the kitchens with his sister. The royal family of the neighbouring Luna Kingdom had come to visit almost a week ago, and in the time since Nico had been forced to sit through endless formal dinners and dance with countless Princesses and Ladies at insufferably dull balls. It was a well-known fact that the Luna Kingdom had more eligible ladies than any other - but it was also frequently rumoured that near none of them were actually interested in finding a partner. In fact, it was even said that every union was arranged there, and that love could be cause for banishment from the kingdom, but this seemed a bit far-fetched to Nico.

At any rate, he was sick of meeting ladies that he had no interest in, and who seemed to hate his presence merely for him being male. At present, he was tucked away in a small corner of one of the walk-in pantries, hidden behind a huge basket of apples and flanked on either side by metal shelves housing crates of bread loaves and flour. Hidden from his view, he knew that Hazel was sitting across from him, in the back left corner of the small pantry.

"How long do you suppose Father is going to continue forcing you to meet with Princesses and Ladies of other kingdoms?" He heard his sister ask quietly. "This is the third kingdom to visit, and you haven't shown even the most remote interest in anyone you've met."

"He's won't give up, Hazel. He wants to see me married." Nico sighed.

She was quiet for a moment. "I expected as much. In which case, why are you avoiding everyone? If a marriage alliance is unavoidable, shouldn't you be searching for a lady you could fall in love with?"

Nico swallowed thickly. "I've told you before, I've no interest in marrying. Maybe ever."

"Why not?"

A flash of sunshine yellow flickered through his thoughts, but he dismissed it before the memory could even form. It was too painful. He opened his mouth to provide the same excuse he'd been giving her, and anyone else who had asked, for years; that he simply wasn't interested in marriage, or even love. That he preferred to be alone. Before he could tell his usual lies, however, the door to the pantry swung open, crashing into the wall as King Hades stormed in.

"NICO!" His voice thundered in the small room, so furious and commanding that Nico could've sworn he heard the shelving rattle. With a small sigh of disappointment, he stood and moved to the centre of the room, gazing up at his father. He was an incredibly intimidating man, tall and broad, with a glare so fierce it seemed to darken the entire room. But Nico wasn't afraid of him.

"Yes?" He raised an eyebrow, serving only to make his father's glare sharpen and his jaw clench. Without a reply, the king grabbed Nico by the wrist, and dragged him through the kitchens, up a spiralling staircase, down several halls and back into the dining room where the members of the Luna court were waiting. Letting go of his wrist before the nobles could notice, Hades took his seat at the head of the table. Nico reluctantly eyed the remaining open seats, taking a moment to wish that Hazel were there as well.

Finally, he took a seat beside the only noble whose presence he'd been able to stand so far - a woman named Thalia. While the other Ladies had all spent their time either ignoring or insulting Nico, she, at least, had been decent. He'd heard rumours that she'd been born a Princess of the Sky Kingdom - heir to the throne, in fact - but had relinquished her title to join the Luna court. He had no idea if such a scandal was true, but it would explain why she was somewhat different to the rest of the Luna Kingdom's aristocracy.

Looking around the table, he found that appetizers hadn't been served yet - which was fortunate, as it meant he wasn't late, and therefore didn't have to provide an excuse for being so. Although it also meant that he was trapped with all these nobles for the rest of the night.

At the opposite end of the table to King Hades, Queen Artemis delicately cleared her throat. She was an incredibly young queen - having risen to power when she was just thirteen, following the deaths of her parents - and was also very beautiful; though any man would have to have a death wish to tell her so.

"King Hades, I have heard certain rumours..." Queen Artemis said, swirling her wine glass and peering at its contents, "rumours that the Solar Kingdom is set to arrive here for a diplomatic visit within the week." She raised her eyebrows, peering at him through her lashes.

"Yes," Hades took a sip from his own wine glass, "I had hoped this wouldn't prove a deterrent for you?"

Artemis pressed her lips. "I have no interest in seeing my arrogant brother."

"Really?" Hades raised his eyebrows innocently, "but we're all allies, are we not?" She narrowed her eyes, and Nico glanced back and forth between them. It was true that a shaky alliance had been held between the three kingdoms for years, but it had always been precarious at best. Nico supposed that was why the two kingdoms were included in Hades' string of visitors.

For years, there had been fears of war breaking out between the Sky and Underworld kingdoms, and if ever there was a time for strengthening alliances - or of making new ones - it was now, when tensions were high. But that didn't mean Nico was alright with his hand being sold off to some random girl. He'd known for many years that he had no interest in women, but he'd told no one the truth. He knew what happened to freaks like him. He'd seen enough homosexual men exiled, imprisoned, or even put to death to know that he could never be accepted for who he was. He could never be with a man; a lesson he'd learned the hard way when he was fourteen.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he refocused on the conversation at hand, which had paused as a small group of servants had come through with their appetizers.

"Of course we are allies," Artemis was smiling, though there was a predatory look in her eyes. She and the king stared at each other for a long moment, then, with an intake of breath, she broke eye contact and began eating her food. Between bites, she continued, "nevertheless, I don't intend to be here whilst he is. My court and I shall ride out at dawn."

Nico struggled to withhold a sigh. As much as he'd hated the company of Luna's ladies, at least they'd given him his space. He'd wanted nothing to do with them and they'd wanted nothing to do with him - so at least he was left alone. When the last two kingdoms; those of King Hermes and Queen Aphrodite - jeez, _especially_ Aphrodite - had visited, it had been different. Then there had been some women who were genuinely interested in such a union, and some would scarcely leave him alone. Plus, he suspected that the ladies of Hermes' court had been stealing from him, but he couldn't say for sure.

King Hades had been careful to ensure that the end of each visitor's stay overlapped with the start of the next one's - Nico suspected that this was intended to make them feel threatened, so they'd push for Nico's attention. At least this time he'd only have to deal with one kingdom at a time.

When the dinner was finally over, and the women had adjourned for the night, Hades turned to his son expectantly. Nico pressed his lips.

"Do you intend to court any of them?" Hades asked, the stern tone in his voice indicating the only answer he wanted to hear. Nico just shook his head, avoiding his father's eye. Hades stood up.

"Nico, whether you like it or not, you are _going_ to marry someone!" He yelled, jabbing a finger at him, "and if you're not going to choose for yourself, so help me, I will do it for you!" Nico's head snapped up, and he gaped at his father. Surely he didn't mean...?

"Yes," Hades said, somewhat calmer, "if current tensions dissolve into war, our kingdom needs to be as strong as possible. We _will_ be securing an alliance through your hand; and if I have to force you into an arranged marriage to do it, then so be it." With that, he stormed from the room, leaving Nico to stare down at his empty plate and fight against tears.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Two**

Three days after the formal dinner with the Luna Kingdom and subsequent departure came the arrival of the Solar Kingdom's court. Nico had been dreading this one especially. At least with the courts of King Hermes, Queen Aphrodite, and Queen Artemis, there had been no princesses - only ladies of the court. Unfortunately, not only was there a Solar Princess - the Princess Kayla - but said princess was also heir to the Solar throne. Such a union would forge a powerful alliance between their kingdoms.

As if the situation wasn't already bad enough, it seemed that Hades _really_ wanted to fast-track the process of his choosing a partner; and so not only had Apollo's kingdom been invited to visit, but Athena's kingdom as well. Like Aphrodite's kingdom, Athena's was one that was almost entirely lost to them, when it came to alliances. Lady Piper and Lady Annabeth were important members of each court, and each had married into one of Hades' enemy kingdoms. Nico knew that if Hades got the opportunity to secure a stronger alliance with Athena's kingdom than the Sea Kingdom currently held, he would take it without hesitation.

Nico was already exhausted from having greeted and entertained Queen Athena and her court all morning, and now it seemed he was going to have to spend the afternoon welcoming King Apollo and his court.

"Fashionably late, as usual." Nico heard his father mutter as King Apollo sauntered into the castle foyer flanked by his court, with his servants trailing after them. King Hades stood at the end of the hall, with Queen Persephone beside him, Nico and Hazel flanking them, and their court behind them.

King Apollo and his court approached the Underworld Court, meanwhile the servants they'd brought with them filed out through the side doors, headed for the servant's quarters to get settled in. For a second, Nico could've sworn he saw a flash of sunshine yellow and his heart jolted, but he quickly shook himself back to reality.

King Apollo and King Hades both stepped forward, clasping each other's wrists in greeting. Withdrawing his arm, Apollo gestured to his left, and a young woman walked forward.

"May I present to the Underworld Court for the first time, daughter of Queen Dara and myself, heir to the Solar throne, Princess Kayla Knowles."

The girl, who had ginger hair and eyes that held an aura of familiarity, curtseyed gracefully before them. Nico noticed Hades subtly but firmly indicating for Nico to approach her and introduce himself, but he pretended not to notice. Between Princess Kayla and Lady Bea (second in line for the Olive throne, after Crown Prince Malcolm), it seemed this was going to be a very long few weeks; perhaps even months if Hades decided to extend their stay, like he did with Aphrodite's court. He had to force himself not to visibly shudder at the thought.

* * *

The welcoming ball that night was, so far, not as bad as it could've been. It seemed that every time a member of the Solar or Olive courts was about to approach him for small talk - or worse, dancing - Hazel would appear out of nowhere and quickly drag Nico away, acting as though she were incredibly excited to show him something, or had something terribly important that she needed to tell him right away. Even now, the two were standing by the food table, picking at grapes and pretending to be deep in conversation.

His little sister was an _angel_, he decided, and he would have to do something huge to repay her one day; though he had no clue what. It seemed she already had everything. She was free to partake in her favourite activities - horse riding and drawing - almost whenever she wanted, she always seemed happy, and she was friends with plenty of the servants and members of the court. Well, there was one thing she was burdened with...

He was jolted out of his thoughts by an unexpected tap on his shoulder, and turning he found himself face to face with Lady Bea. He gulped. He'd been having to work extra hard to avoid this one. He was about to come up with some reason as to why he needed to be anywhere else, when he accidentally made eye contact with his father across the room, and was given him the most deadly glare he'd ever seen. His father's threat of an arranged marriage echoing in his ears, he decided it best to at least _pretend_ to be considering the eligible ladies of the visiting courts. It would buy him some time at least.

Trying not to think about it too much, for the sake of his sanity, he turned to Lady Bea and forced himself to ask her to dance. She accepted with a grin and led him out onto the dance floor, where he had to suppress a groan of regret at his own decision. He made himself bow as she curtseyed, then he tried not to let his deep reluctance and discomfort show as he took her hand in his and placed his other hand on her waist, leading them in a waltz.

"You know, Prince Nico, I've heard rumours that you're planning on choosing a lady to court soon." She said, somehow maintaining a perfectly innocent façade. Nico felt himself sweat a little.

"Um..." Before he could think of some reply that would deter her without outright lying to her, she started talking again.

"Because I think," she said, a small smile creeping onto her face as she noticed, and probably misinterpreted, the nervous blush starting to spread across his cheeks, "that a union between the Underworld and Olive Kingdoms would be a very wise union indeed... don't you?"

This time, he didn't even try to answer. He wasn't used to women being so forward - especially not towards _him_, and he had no idea what to do. Then suddenly, her words weren't the problem anymore.

With the exception of people who he cared about, like Hazel, he'd always hated physical contact; and he had to suppress the urge to recoil as her hand steadily made its way further up his shoulder, until it was almost in the hair at the base of his neck.

He must have been doing a good job at hiding how uncomfortable he was, because her playful smile only grew. It was then that he panicked a little, because he didn't want to go through the awkwardness and embarrassment of moving her hand back, but he also didn't want to leave it there and send her the wrong message. He looked away, eyes scanning the room for... well, anything. Maybe, for once, it was a good thing that he was being so weird; maybe he would just naturally drive her away, like everybody else.

He was snapped out of this grim thought when, for the second time that day, a flash of sunshine yellow caught him off guard. His heart rate sped up as he stared at a servant on the opposite side of the room, who if he didn't know any better, he would say was... No. It couldn't be him. Could it? He was too far away to tell, and it didn't help that the servant was facing away from him. He silently prayed that the man would just _turn around_ so that he could put his mind at ease with the confirmation that it wasn't who he thought it was; that he was just imagining things.

Unfortunately, the servant disappeared through a side door before Nico could get a good look at him. He frowned, heart still beating faster than it should've been. He knew there was no way that it could be him, and yet... Well, he had to be sure. He needed to know, or else it would haunt him for the entire duration of the Solar and Olive Kingdoms' visits.

"I'm terribly sorry," Nico quickly said, pulling away from Lady Bea, who turned startled eyes up at him, "but I've just remembered an urgent matter of state that I must attend to immediately. I'll return as soon as it's taken care of." With a hasty bow, Nico walked to the doorway the servant had disappeared through as fast as he could without making it obvious to those around him that he was hurrying.

Arriving at the door, he turned to the guard beside it and asked, "Do you know where the servant who just passed through here was going?" If the guard was surprised at such a question, he did an excellent job of hiding it.

"To the stables, Sire." He said, staring into the distance, as guards do, rather than looking at him. "That servant has been tasked with feeding the horses and settling them in for the night."

"Thank you." He pulled open the door and, as soon as it was shut behind him, bolted for the stables. Running down hallways and stairs, he charged across the castle grounds and paused when he got there, leaning a hand against the wooden exterior as he caught his breath. When he'd regained his composure, he walked to the open doorway, heart beating with nerves. Fully prepared for, and expecting disappointment - almost _hoping_ for it, even - he peered around the doorway and into the stables.

The servant was in there, facing away from him as he stroked one of the horses, his golden hair gleaming the exact shade of sunshine yellow that Nico remembered. Stepping into the room, still peering closely at the servant, he hesitantly opened his mouth.

"Will?"

* * *

**I know that Kayla's mortal parent is actually a man named Darren, not a woman named Dara, and I hate to change his and Apollo's relationship into a straight one, but for this storyline to make sense it had to be done.**  
**Also, I have no idea who Bea is or what gender he/she is (nothing but their name was provided on the wiki list of children of Athena), but for this story they're a girl.**  
**~ Leila.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Three**

Stepping into the stables, still peering closely at the servant, Nico hesitantly opened his mouth.

"Will?"

The boy stilled, then turned around slowly.

"Nico." He breathed, staring at him with those bright blue eyes that he remembered so well; and though his face had changed slightly in the years since Nico had seen him last, it was undoubtedly Will. His features had matured somewhat since when they were younger - he'd grown taller too - and gods he was handsome. Nico quickly shoved the thought aside, annoyed with himself.

For his part, Will's face stretched into a wide grin, seeming genuinely overjoyed to see him as he stepped over, arms open for a hug. Trying to avoid his gaze, Nico stepped back, ignoring the flash of hurt that flickered over Will's face.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, refusing to acknowledge the coil of guilt he felt as Will's arms dropped to his sides.

"I work for the Solar court now," he said, "I volunteered to visit here with the nobles. I... had hoped to see you again. After what happened when I used to work here..." Nico's heart twinged as the memory fought to flash through his mind, but he refused to let it.

There were so many things that he wanted to say to this boy, but like the coward that he was, he simply hissed; "You can't be here. Are you crazy? If someone recognises you, you could get into serious trouble. You were banished from ever returning!"

Will ran a nervous hand through his hair, and Nico followed the motion with his eyes, briefly wondering what running a hand through Will's hair must be like. Realising what he'd just imagined, he mentally slapped himself and fought against a blush.

"Actually, _technically_ I was never _officially_ exiled," he said, "to do so would've required a public trial, and we both know that Dowager Queen Demeter cares about public image more than near anything else." Nico stiffened slightly at the mention of Demeter's name. He'd always held a particular distaste for the woman, who'd married into royalty in the neighbouring Grainne Kingdom. After her husband died, she'd been livid when she'd discovered that both she and her daughter Persephone held no claim to the throne. The now-queen Miranda ascended the throne, and Demeter searched tirelessly for a way to award her daughter the title of queen.

Nico had never gotten along well with Demeter, and his feelings had only grown into hatred ever since she'd banished his only friend - not counting Hazel, of course - from the kingdom.

"You don't think Demeter will keep to her threats?" Nico asked darkly. "If she catches you here..."

"Relax," Will waved a hand dismissively, "you and I both know that the dowager queen is visiting the Grainne Kingdom for the next month, at least." Nico shifted on his feet, glancing around uncomfortably. He didn't like the risk Will was taking.

"I... I thought you'd be happy to see me?"

Nico looked up sharply, meeting Will's gaze. Unlike before, when he'd seemed like his usual carefree self, now his face was clouded by doubt and... a vulnerability that made Nico's heart clench. He yearned to reach out to him; to pull him into a hug and assure him that _of course_ he was happy to see him. He wanted to tell him how much he'd missed him.

"...You shouldn't be here." He finally said instead, turning to leave the stables, hating himself for the pain that entered Will's eyes. He made it to the doorway and paused. Much as he knew he should keep his distance from Will, he just couldn't bear to leave things like that. This could be the last time they ever spoke, though the thought pained him more than he cared to admit.

Still facing away from the servant, he turned his head back slightly and added, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Before Will could get a chance to respond, Nico slipped through the doorway and into the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Four**

"Where did you disappear off to during the ball last night?"

Nico, who'd been staring into space for the majority of breakfast that morning, turned at the sound of his sister's whisper. He hesitated for a moment.

"Just wanted to get away from Lady Bea for a moment I guess." He murmured back. Hazel glanced warily down the table.

"You probably shouldn't say that while she's sitting so near." She muttered, to which Nico only shrugged. He had other things on his mind. Ever since he'd seen Will again the previous night, it had been all he could think about. He knew that staying away from Will was for the best, but he also had no idea how he was supposed to achieve that when Will was going to be right there, _in the palace_, for such an extended period of time. It had barely been a day and already Nico was struggling against the urge to go looking for his old friend. Again, that day when he was fourteen fought to replay in his mind, but he pushed the memory back. It was too painful.

"I noticed you dancing with Lady Bea last night," Nico startled at his father's voice. Seated at the head of the table, King Hades leaned close to his son, speaking in a hushed tone. "I'm glad to see you finally acknowledging your duties."

Nico pressed his lips, unsure how to respond. If he hadn't known better, he might've thought his father was praising him, but Hades' tone suggested it was more along the lines of a warning.

"Today you are to meet with Princess Kayla," Hades continued. "The two of you will be spending the morning horse riding across the grounds." Nico's heart kicked; though unfortunately not for the promise of having some alone time with a princess, but for the potential of seeing a serving _boy_. What was wrong with him?

Knowing there was no use in arguing, he simply nodded.

* * *

"Lost something, Your Highness?"

Nico, who had been peering around the stables, turned to find Princess Kayla standing in the doorway. He didn't know what he was feeling most strongly - dread at going riding with the princess, relief at not running into Will, or disappointment for the same reason.

"No, I was just..." He trailed off as a servant rounded the doorway behind her - none other than Will himself. His breath caught in his throat. Following his gaze, Princess Kayla glanced around, eyes falling on the young man behind her.

"Oh. Prince Nico, this is Will Solace, one of our servants. He's just here to prepare the horses." She said, gesturing vaguely in Will's direction. Nico nodded in greeting, though he wouldn't make eye contact.

The entire time the horses were being saddled up, Nico had to fight against the urge to stare. It had been a long time, and Will's form had changed. It wasn't just that he was taller - he'd grown into his frame too, no longer bearing any of the lankiness from his childhood. He was still relatively slight in build, but there were muscles there that hadn't been before. His back was broader, his arms more defined, and he could see the muscles in them working as he tightened the saddles. He felt a twinge of bitterness. Did Will _have_ to be _so_ sexy?

When the horses were finally prepared, Kayla and Nico set off at a slow pace, exploring the grounds side by side.

For the most part, they made small talk or simply rode in silence, until she said, "Your father's inviting other kingdoms here to pressure you into courting someone, isn't he?" He looked up fast enough that his neck popped, and stared at her. He was sure that plenty of people had figured out what this was really all about, but none had been quite so blunt; not even Lady Bea.

She smiled slightly. "I just wanted you to know that I can tell you want no part in any of this, mostly because I don't either."

"You don't want to get married?" Another, somewhat darker, thought occurred to him, "or rather... you don't want to get married to _me_?"

"It's not you specifically," she laughed a little, but in a nice way, "it's that I don't want to get married at all. It's bad enough being the heiress apparent, and now they want to tie me down further with marriage." She huffed indignantly, but there was an understated sadness there too. Nico should know enough about misery to see it.

"...What do you want to be doing instead?" He asked.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes pained. "I want to be a competitive archer," she said. "Just a stupid, impossible dream, I know." Nico couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It was hard enough in their society for any woman to be taken seriously with a weapon, let alone a princess.

"What about you?" She asked.

There was something in her open expression that made him want to trust her with his secret, but he knew he couldn't tell anyone. "...Just prefer being alone, I guess." He finally muttered. She raised a skeptic eyebrow at him.

"Well, I suppose we only just met," she said, looking away. "I won't push it."

"Thank you."

"I have to ask, though, why you?"

He looked over at her again. "What do you mean?"

"Kings normally focus on selling their _female_ children," she snarled, before continuing in a far nicer tone, "why is he so intent on forcing you to marry, instead of Princess Hazel?"

"...My sister has been betrothed since she was three months old."

Princess Kayla gasped softly. "That's terrible."

Nico nodded. "A neighbouring kingdom was threatening war, so my father organised a union between her and their infant son. It's been years since then but, we've still never actually met the prince."

"She hasn't even met him yet?" Kayla's eyes filled with sadness, and he tried not to show it, but he echoed the feeling right down to his core. Hazel deserved better.

"To be honest, I know it's selfish but I'm glad they're taking their time." He said, and when she cocked her head at him, he continued, "because she's a woman, and second in line, once they marry she'll have to leave for his kingdom."

"You don't want to lose her." Kayla said softly. He nodded, his heart heavy. He didn't know if he could bear to lose her. He'd already lost one sister...

* * *

The next two days were mostly a blur spent avoiding Hades, Will, and Lady Bea as much as possible - which wasn't easy, to say the least. He'd spent most of his time hiding with Hazel, or meeting with Princess Kayla - and despite the fact that he was primarily doing so to keep his father off his back, he found that over time he'd actually come to enjoy Kayla's company. It was refreshing to talk to a lady who neither thought herself better than him, nor wanted to marry him; and he had begun to think of her as an unlikely friend.

Unfortunately it hadn't escaped King Hades' notice that Lady Bea was very intent on Nico's hand - and so he had arranged for Nico and himself to dine with Lady Bea and Queen Athena.

Nico stirred his spoon through his soup, avoiding eye contact with Lady Bea, who sat across from him and had spent the whole meal so far trying to chat him up.

"So, Prince Nico," she said, waiting until he looked up before putting her spoon in her mouth, sucking it, and then withdrawing it slowly, "I just _love_ painting, and I hear that you like to paint too?" He tried not to shy away from her uncomfortably intense stare, wishing she would stop coming on so strong. It wasn't that he minded her boldness, so much as that she seemed completely ignorant of the fact that her affections were unwanted.

"Uh, not really," he took a drink from his wine goblet, "it's my little sister who likes to paint. I mostly just hold brushes and stuff for her."

"Oh, well, I'm not that big on painting either," she grinned, waving a dismissive hand through the air. Nico's right eye twitched.

"Although," she continued brightly, "I do think it's _so_ sweet that you help your little sister with her art. I've also heard that you're a very talented horse-rider, which is, of course, very impressive." Lady Bea continued to ramble after that, but Nico was no longer listening. His gaze had locked on a servant who'd appeared through the side door to the dining hall, carrying a pitcher of wine. He slowly made his way around the table, refilling everyone's goblets, his blond hair blindingly bright even in the dim, candlelit room. What was Will doing waiting on them? He was here with the Solar kingdom's aristocracy - none of whom were currently present! Nico fought against a sigh. It seemed the kitchen staff didn't much care what kingdom you served so long as you did your job properly.

Will walked around his chair and, as he filled his goblet, he gently placed his hand on Nico's back. Nico stiffened a little, glancing around the table worriedly - but no one was looking. Lady Bea was too caught up in her own babbling, King Hades was busy smiling at Queen Athena like _Aren't these two a great pair?_, whilst Queen Athena herself was critically staring King Hades down, like Nico had yet to prove himself worthy of Bea. If they only knew how fast Nico's heart was beating from just one bit of contact with the male servant pouring their wine.

Nico watched as Will walked away, disappearing through the same door he'd entered from, and it took him a moment after that to notice that Lady Bea had fallen silent. Realising he'd been off in his own world, he snapped to attention, facing the lady; who was staring at him expectantly.

"...Um, pardon?"

Hades, having noticed the situation, glared disapprovingly at his son, but Lady Bea seemed undeterred. "I said," she smiled brightly, "that I think it would be a wonderful idea if you were to introduce me to your sister!" He stared blankly. Was she... inviting herself on a date with him? And one with his sister present? He would never understand women.

"Uh, sure." He said uncomfortably. Apparently not sensing his bafflement, she grinned, clapping her hands together.

"It's settled, then! I'll see you tomorrow at four, then."

Of all the crazy emotions and urges cycling through him at that point, for some reason the strongest impulse that he had to fight against was the one to point out that she'd used the word 'then' at the end of both of those sentences. He needed _help_.

* * *

At around one in the morning, he was still wide awake, still reeling from the events of the day. Sighing, he decided to take a break from trying in vain to sleep, and slipped out of bed and down to the abandoned kitchens. Poking around the benches for a late night snack turned up nothing of interest, so he turned to the walk-in pantry, wondering if those crates of apples were still there. He pulled the door open and jumped back with a yelp, a mysterious figure looming in the shadows. The door slammed shut between them, but not before Nico caught a flash of blue eyes.

"Surely not..." he murmured to himself. Curiosity getting the better of him, he pulled the door open again, and found himself face-to-face with Will Gods Damn Solace. Entering the room, he let the door close behind him, placing the candle he'd brought with him on one of the shelves.

"How is it that you're everywhere I go?" He asked, arms crossed and suddenly all-too-aware of the fact that they were standing not two feet apart, alone in a secluded room in the middle of the night. If Will were a girl and Nico got caught, it'd be enough to get him branded a scoundrel - even though they weren't technically doing anything.

Will just shrugged sheepishly and held up a pear with a few bites taken out of it. "I'm guessing we had the same thought?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "As a servant and a guest, technically you shouldn't be helping yourself to the pantry."

Will shrugged again, plucking another pear out of a crate and tossing it to Nico, who caught it at the last second. "Oh well, it's not like anyone important is going to find out," Will said.

"Ah, and here I was thinking that 'crown prince' was a title that meant something." Nico replied, smirking. Will took another bite of his pear, and Nico couldn't help but watch how he casually leaned against a nearby shelf, seeming totally at ease. He could never understand how he always seemed so calm; his very presence was relaxing, had been ever since they were kids. Unbidden, the memory of the day Will was banished rose to the surface, and, unprepared for it this time, Nico couldn't stop it from replaying in his mind...


	5. Chapter 5

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Five**

Fourteen years old, Nico made his way to the greenhouse where he had agreed to meet Will; his best friend since as long as either of them could remember... and also the most gorgeous human being Nico had ever seen. He usually tried not to think too much about why he found Will so... well, attractive. Deep down in his heart, though, he suspected he knew _exactly_ why he always blushed in his friend's presence.

Pushing through the doorway, he wandered around, passing countless thriving plants before he spotted Will sliding a pot of slightly wilted flowers into more direct sunlight. Hearing his approach, Will looked up, and Nico found himself caught in those blue eyes - an incredible shade that he'd never seen anywhere else. He'd change the entire sky to that colour if he could.

Grinning, Will came over to Nico and grabbed his wrist, leading him through the greenhouse as he said, "Took you long enough. C'mon, I want to show you something." They walked around overflowing pots and Will's hand slipped into Nico's. Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, Nico closed his hand around Will's, blushing even though he knew there was no way the gesture was anything but platonic. What would his friend think if he knew how hard Nico's heart was beating right now? He'd probably be horrified.

Pulling him around a corner, Will stopped and smiled, making a 'ta-dah' gesture at their destination; a huge tree that Nico had seen countless times before; but today it was in full bloom, covered in thousands of tiny flowers. Nico must have been gaping like an idiot, because Will laughed, moving them closer to the tree.

"Amazing, right? It only blooms for one day, once every year." He said, plucking a flower from the branches with his free hand. A mischievous grin crossed his face, and he lunged, aiming to tuck the flower into Nico's hair. For his part, Nico cried out indignantly and dodged, attempting to bat Will's arm away. Will just laughed, pulling Nico closer and trying to force his arm down. Nico couldn't help but laugh too, even as he pushed against Will's arm, angling his head away from the flower even as Will pulled him closer.

It was then that he noticed that his face was barely an inch away from Will's. They both froze in place as Will seemed to realise the same thing. The air between them hung with tension, a blush rising on Nico's cheeks. Flustered, he made to back away, but Will surprised him, leaning in and gently pressing his lips against Nico's. Nico's eyes widened, hardly able to believe what was happening, even as his heart began to beat harder against his ribcage than was surely healthy.

It felt... amazing. Like his whole body was buzzing. Closing his eyes, he hesitantly leaned into Will, just a little bit.

A loud clang made them both jump and swivel their heads to Nico's right. Standing where they'd just come from, a watering can at her feet and a half-stunned, half-horrified look on her face, was Dowager Queen Demeter. Nico wanted to slap himself for being such an _idiot_. Demeter adored this greenhouse; of _course_ she'd be here to admire the tree that only bloomed once a year!

"Q-Queen Demeter!" Nico yelped, pushing away from Will and holding an arm out toward her, "It's not what it looks like." Shaking her head in horror, the Queen turned and ran from the room. Nico and Will glanced at each other, then bolted after her, calling for her to wait.

That night, Nico had been confined to his room. He'd begged Demeter to let him out, to let him explain - or at least to punish him instead of Will. She'd refused to listen.

The next day, Will was gone. It was all kept under wraps, but Nico knew that Will had been cast out because of _him_. He knew that the boy had nowhere else to go. He was a servant; his entire life was in the Kingdom. He'd be living all alone on the streets with no money.

Someone knocked at his door, and he reluctantly untangled himself from his sheets, where he'd been curled up all day. How could he have ruined this? Will was his _best friend_. What would he do without him? The knocking sounded again and he huffed, pulling on a black bathrobe and speed-walking to the door. Swinging it open, he found himself looking at Demeter. He glared, tempted to slam the door right in her stupid face.

"May I come in?" She smiled; a fake look; and stepped around him without waiting for an answer. Raising his arms in exasperation, he rolled his eyes and closed the door behind her. There was a long moment of silence as she wandered about the room, Nico glaring at her back.

"How could you exile him?" He finally demanded, annoyed with himself when his voice warbled.

She slowly turned. "Dearest Nico," her voice dripped with false sympathy, "one day you'll see that I did this for your own good. That... _Will_ boy was leading you down a dark path." The distaste in her voice as she said Will's name was palpable, and Nico flinched.

"Please," he forced himself to swallow his pride, blinking back unwanted tears, "he has nowhere else to go."

She hmphed disdainfully. "Well, he should've thought of that before he attempted to corrupt the crown prince." She turned her nose up and stalked for the door, yanking it open and pausing. Looking down at him over her shoulder, she added, "I trust you won't allow yourself to become... like _him_." The door slammed behind her. Nico felt as though he'd been stabbed in the chest. He collapsed onto his bed, barely able to process the idea of never seeing Will again. Never seeing that sunshine-yellow hair, or those gorgeous blue eyes. Never listening to him ramble on about his dreams of one day becoming a court physician - an impossible dream for a mere serving boy, and yet something he would never fail to fight for. How could he never see him again?

This was all his fault. Why couldn't he just be... _normal_?

Curling into a ball again, he finally let the tears fall.

* * *

"Are you alright?"

Nico jumped, finding himself in a pantry, Will Solace standing not five inches from him. Eyes widening, he stepped back so fast he stumbled on a crate, but managed to regain his balance. Will - the stupid, sexy bastard - smirked, his intense gaze fixed upon Nico's. His heart fluttered, and he tried to look away but couldn't.

Dropping his pear, Will stepped forward and gently cupped Nico's cheek with his hand, moving so close Nico could feel his warm breath. Nico blushed, breathing heavier than he had been before. Will moved a step closer and Nico's heart seized with panic, and some other emotion he couldn't quite understand.

"Um, you know what," he breathed, trapped in Will's eyes, "I'm not that hungry anyway." Then his hand landed on the doorknob behind him and he pushed the door open, dashing from the pantry, through the kitchen, and back to his room. Slamming the door shut behind him, he leaned against it, slowly letting his breathing and heart rate calm down as he slid towards the floor.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Six**

The sort-of date with Lady Bea, in which she had invited herself to meet his sister, was somehow even more uncomfortable than he'd thought it would be. The three of them were seated around a small table for tea, and no one had spoken in several minutes.

Hazel, who seemed about as keen on Bea as Nico, was politely sipping her tea. Lady Bea was grinning at Nico, occasionally flicking her hair or otherwise trying to catch his attention. Nico was doing his best to avoid eye contact with anyone. He couldn't understand what Lady Bea seemed to find so appealing about _him_ anyway. Maybe she was just after his title. At least Princess Kayla was honest, but he still couldn't see a future with either of these ladies - though it seemed apparent that his father wasn't going to let either of them leave unless the other had a ring on their finger.

He suppressed a sigh, and sipped his tea. They were in the conservatory, and a flicker of movement outside the window caught his eye. Princess Kayla was walking by outside, and when they made eye contact, she glanced between him and Lady Bea, and offered an awkward wave. Glancing to his side to make sure neither of the women he was seated with were currently looking in his direction, Nico turned back to Princess Kayla and mouthed '_Help_.' She disappeared around the corner, and he hoped that the desperate look in his eyes had managed to convey his message.

A moment later there was a polite knock on the door, and Princess Kayla peeked her head in.

"Prince Nico, your father needs you in his study. Now."

Hazel frowned, probably wondering why a visiting princess had been given the task of delivering a message, while Nico rose from his seat.

"Wait!" Lady Bea grabbed onto his wrist, tugging on his arm in an attempt to get him to sit back down. "Surely it can wait, I mean, we're kind of _in the middle of something_." By the end of her sentence, she was glaring at Princess Kayla.

"My apologies, Lady Bea, but if the King needs me then I have to go." He detached his arm, possibly with a little more force than was strictly necessary, and cast his sister what he hoped was a subtle apologetic look. He moved past Princess Kayla, and the two walked down the halls, not heading anywhere in particular.

"So, what was that all about?" She finally asked.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Uh... Lady Bea is just... very keen on the whole marriage idea."

"Ah," she nodded. They walked together quietly for some time, before she spoke up again, "Prince Nico, I told you that I don't want to get married because I'd rather be a competitive archer... what's keeping you from marriage?"

A flash of yellow hair through his thoughts. He scowled at nothing in particular, annoyed with himself.

"Just not really the romantic type, I guess."

She stared at him for a long while, and he shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze. He called up a mask, doing everything he could to make himself unreadable. She finally looked away.

"Well," she said, "so long as you're hiding from Lady Bea, you may as well show me what kind of archery facilities you've got here." She grinned wickedly, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Alright, but you can't make fun of me when I inevitably miss every target by ten metres."

She snickered. "Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

Despite her promises, Princess Kayla had mocked Nico mercilessly, and now he sat at the dinner table with his family - and no one else, thankfully - nursing his newly acquired burns.

"Lady Bea seems rather fond of you, Nico." King Hades said, peering at Nico over his wine glass.

Nico swallowed, avoiding eye contact, "She's... certainly good at... being difficult to shake." Hazel attempted to hide a snicker behind her hand. Hades was silent for a long time, staring at Nico, putting him on edge.

"It is fortunate for you, then, that I have organised for Queen Athena's court to be leaving us, replaced within a day with a visiting court from another kingdom."

Nico stilled. "And what of King Apollo's court?" He dared to meet his father's eye, and found him smirking; though there was no amusement behind it. Rather, he seemed smug... almost predatory.

"Someone you don't want to leave, is there?"

"No."

_Yes, but not who you think._

Nico pinned his gaze to the dark tablecloth. He felt another pair of eyes on him, and glanced up to find Hazel staring at him with a strange look on her face. He flinched internally. Not her, too. He cursed himself; he should've known how spending so much time with one suitor would look.

"King Apollo and his court will be staying with us... indefinitely." Hades' eyes were piercing, pinning Nico in place. "It seems you now have more time to get to know Princess Kayla."

Nico clenched his jaw.

* * *

The upside of the following day, was that Lady Bea was no longer around to torture him. Unfortunately, his father seemed to think he fancied Princess Kayla, which was a big problem.

...Or, was it? He liked Kayla. Would almost call her a friend. He knew that he was on borrowed time - that he would have to marry someone, and soon. Princess Kayla was probably his best chance at any semblance of happiness. She was nice to him. She was cool. And most importantly, she didn't want to get married either, so at least they understood each other.

Whether he liked it or not, it seemed that he was going to find himself engaged to her soon anyway, and surprisingly, he felt that he could be okay with that. If it had to be anyone, he was almost glad it would be her. Not that he was happy about it in general.

He decided it was better to think about easier things, like the joy of not having to deal with Lady Bea anymore. As he walked down a palace corridor, he was so busy revelling in her departure that he almost didn't notice her coming towards him before it was too late to hide. Luckily, he spotted Lady Bea and, heart lurching, managed to dart into an empty room before she could notice him.

Heart pounding, he listened against the door until her footsteps passed, then let out the breath he'd been holding. His relief was short-lived, however.

_What the hell was she doing here?_

When he was absolutely certain she was gone, he darted from the room and ran all the way to his father's study, princely decorum be damned.

"Father!" He yelled the moment he burst through the doors, earning him a foul look from King Hades, who had been signing what appeared to be a lengthy legal document, sitting atop a stack of others.

"This better be important, Nico."

"Why is Lady Bea still here?"

His father pressed his lips, and for a moment Nico thought Hades was going to ignore his question entirely, but then he stood and approached him with a stern look on his face.

"Situations have changed," King Hades said carefully, "having the nobles of Athena's kingdom leave us so suddenly may not be the wisest course of action after all." Hades turned and began pacing the edges of the room in a slow, calculated circle.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Nico asked, eyeing his father. King Hades stilled.

"Tragedy has struck the Olive court," he watched Nico out of the corner of his eye, "Crown Prince Malcolm has tragically passed in battle." Hades waited for a reaction, but Nico kept his expression as neutral as possible.

"How terrible," he said, "do we know who killed him?"

Hades stared him down for a long moment, before saying, "It was a member of a civilian rebel group that has been causing the Olive aristocracy a great deal of grief. The man has been imprisoned of course, and awaits... further punishment." Hades was quiet again, but it was clear that he was building up to something. Something that Nico wasn't going to like.

Nico swallowed thickly. "Why are you telling me this, Father?" Hades' expression turned even more serious, and Nico felt a chill run down his back.

"With the late Prince Malcolm gone, and with Lady Annabeth now a member of the Sea court, Lady Bea has become first in line for the Olive throne." Nico felt as though all the blood was draining from his body.

"What are you saying, Father?"

"...Just that there's no sense in ending Lady Bea's stay here. Not yet, at least." His father's tone was raising the hairs on the back of his neck. "After all, it is the mark of a rude host not to accommodate for the mourning, is it not?" Hades eyed him for a long time, but Nico had lost the ability to speak. After a moment, Hades simply made a disapproving hum, and turned back to his desk.

"Never interrupt me in my study again, Nico." He said. Unable to form a response, Nico walked stiffly from the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Seven**

(Will)

_What am I doing?_

This had been the thought playing on repeat through Will's head ever since he'd returned to Hades' kingdom. He was vaguely aware that he'd been sweeping the same empty room repeatedly for over an hour, but he was too lost in thought to care. Too busy thinking about Nico and his dark eyes and how adorable he was when he got all flustered and started blushing. Too busy thinking about King Hades and his lack of subtlety.

No official statement had been released, but it was obvious that King Hades was parading a stream of women under Nico's nose in an attempt to get him to propose to one of them. Will had been a servant long enough to know how noble families worked. Nico would be engaged by the end of the month, at the latest. He paused his sweeping, clutching the broom hard enough to turn his knuckles white, as he fought against a tide of emotion. Attempting to swallow the lump in his throat, he forced thoughts of Nico's impending engagement from his mind. It was too painful.

He moved to the back of the room and began going over the floors yet again. He tried not to think about Nico, but it was impossible not to these days. When he'd come to Hades' kingdom, he'd been excited to see Nico again, and he'd known that he still had some unresolved feelings for him, but he hadn't expected those feelings to come back so strongly. He knew he had it bad; and no matter how many times he told himself to stay away from the prince, every time he was in his presence he couldn't resist the pull of him.

He remembered when he and Nico had been in that pantry together. How he'd told himself to keep his distance, before they both got hurt again. How he'd known that making a move on him could never end well. How he'd been just about to kiss him, despite all that. But just as he was going to lean in, Nico had bolted from the room.

Even as the painful lump in his throat returned, he reminded himself that it was a good thing that Nico had run. If they'd kissed and been caught, Will could've been killed, and Nico could've lost his title and been exiled, separating him from his sister. Trying to kiss him had been a terrible, terrible idea. ...And yet, all he could think about was trying it again.

Giving up on cleaning, Will dropped the broom and sat in a corner of the room, hands in his hair. This had to stop. It had to.

_What am I doing?_

* * *

(Nico)

Nico was heading through a corridor toward his room when he heard a loud clatter from a room that should've been empty at this time of day.

Curious, he opened the door, poked his head in, and saw Will Solace sitting in a corner of the room, staring right back at him. Of course. Nico had taken a different route through the palace than usual in an attempt to avoid Solace, who - according to the timetable Nico had swiped from the servants' quarters - was supposed to be three corridors over by now; but _of course_ Will was here instead.

He'd been about to apologise and run away in a panic, when he noticed the abandoned broom in the centre of the room, and the way Will was curled up in a corner with his hands in his hair.

Against his better judgement, Nico entered the room, the door swinging shut behind him, and he sat beside Will. He was careful to leave a definite gap between them, and yet he knew he was still sitting closer to the boy than he really should've been.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Will looked at him, and for just a moment Nico saw a lifetime of pain and sadness in his eyes, but then it was covered beneath his usual sunshine smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, but his entire demeanour said otherwise. Nico shifted uncomfortably, knowing the conversation was moving into dangerous territory, but he was unable to stand the sight of Will in pain.

"Seriously, what's going on, Will?" Nico watched as Will stared at nothing for a long moment, seeming to mull over his next words.

"I don't know. I guess I just missed you all these years and... Did you miss me?"

Nico made the mistake of making eye contact with him, and a part of him melted. He couldn't look into his bright blue eyes and lie; he couldn't see all that pain and worry and not reassure him.

"Of course I did," he swallowed, and unwittingly glanced at Will's lips, before returning his gaze to his eyes, "you... you were everything to me." Will's gaze softened, and Nico became all too aware of how close they'd moved to each other, his eyes seeming to draw him in. Nico could feel his warmth, and when Will licked his lips, he couldn't help but glance down at them again. When he looked back up, a blush had spread across Will's cheeks, and he temporarily forgot how to breathe.

Will slid one hand around the back of Nico's neck and pulled him closer. Nico closed his eyes and felt Will's lips against his. As their lips moved against each other's, Nico felt like his whole body was tingling, and a warmth began to spread through him. He mimicked Will, placing a hand against the nape of his neck and pulling him closer, his fingers toying with the ends of his golden hair. It felt so... right.

Nico heard a loud gasp, and they pulled apart, turning to face the door. Panic surged through Nico's veins. He _hadn't closed the door properly_. Standing in the doorway, gaping at them with her mouth open, was Princess Kayla. Kayla turned and bolted, and Nico jumped to his feet, adrenaline coursing through his entire body.

"Kayla, wait!" He yelled, chasing after her, but by the time he was in the hallway, she was already gone.

* * *

**I had a lot of fun with this, but this is probably the only time I'll tell part of the story from Will's perspective. I was originally planning to write this entire story in Nico's point of view, but a comment left by BubbleSpAce asking whether Will knew that Nico was going to be forced into marriage made me realise that Will's motives and grasp on Nico's situation weren't clear enough to the reader, so here we are ^.^**  
**~ Leila**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Eight**

_It was happening again. _He'd been caught again, and it was his own stupid fault. _Again.  
_

Nico had been searching the entire castle in a frenzy all afternoon, but Princess Kayla was nowhere to be found. What was he going to do? More importantly, what was _Kayla_ going to do? What if she told someone? What if Nico had to watch Will being forced to restart his life again? Or worse?

It was Demeter all over again. He tried to tell himself it wouldn't be so bad this time, but he'd seen the look on Kayla's face.

"Nico?"

Nico turned and found Hazel giving him a strange look. It only took him a moment to realise that was probably because his hair was a mess, his jacket was falling off his shoulders, and he'd been running down the hall with what he was certain must have been an unhinged look on his face.

"Hey Hazel," he laughed nervously, "I don't suppose you've seen Kayla anywhere?"

Hazel raised an eyebrow and smirked. "_Kayla_ is in the atrium, or she was last I saw."

Nico stiffened, realising this was the first time he'd referred to Princess Kayla without her title, to someone other than Kayla herself. If Hazel hadn't already been convinced that he had feelings for Kayla, he was sure she was now. He felt like hitting his head against a wall.

The atrium was practically on the opposite side of the palace from where he'd been, but when he finally arrived and stuck his head in the doorway, he found Princess Kayla standing with her back to him, staring out the window. At some point during his search, the sun had set, and now Kayla was staring up at the moon. He wished he could at least see her face so he could try to read her expression.

He stepped into the room - this time being _very_ careful to close the door properly behind him - and tentatively approached her. He stood by her side for a long time, watching her expressionless gaze, which was still fixed on the moon.

Finally, she took a deep breath, and quietly asked, "Do you love him?"

Nico blushed, completely thrown by the question. _Did he...?_ No, surely there was no way. No matter how close they'd been when they were younger, Will had only just come back into his life.

"I... I don't think so," he said, "but, I feel like I could. Someday."

Kayla smiled to herself, then giggled a little bit, and Nico's jaw dropped. That was probably the last reaction he'd been expecting.

"You know, it makes sense now," she turned to him, still smiling, "everything that's happened so far. The way you've acted this whole time with me and Lady Bea."

She was actually laughing now, and Nico could only gape at her.

"I almost feel silly for not figuring it out on my own," she said. Nico was still gaping at her.

"I-I don't understand," he finally managed to stutter out, "you're... okay with this?"

She smiled at him again, only this time he could see a lot of sadness in her eyes. "I'm sorry I ran off yesterday, I was just surprised. But yes, I'm okay with it. I've actually known Will was gay ever since we were little kids, and I was always afraid he'd never be able to find love in this world. I worry about him."

Nico furrowed his brow. How could Kayla have known Will when they were children? Will had grown up as a servant in Hades' kingdom - Nico should know, they'd been friends ever since they were kids. How could Kayla - the Solar Princess - have even met him? Unless Kayla had some connection to Hades' kingdom that Nico didn't know about?

He was about to voice these questions when he heard footsteps coming down the corridor towards them, and his entire body seized in panic. If he and Kayla were caught alone together at this time of night, even if it was completely innocent, scandalous rumours would spread through the palace and kingdom like wildfire, and they'd both have to face the wrath of their parents.

The doorknob started to turn, and Kayla, appearing equally panicked, shoved Nico into a closet to hide - the irony of which was certainly not lost on him. Kayla had just closed the door on Nico when he heard the door to the atrium open, and someone walked inside.

"Oh, Princess Kayla, there you are!"

Nico pushed the door open just far enough to peer out, and spotted a servant from Kayla's kingdom.

"Your father has been asking for you for dinner for an hour."

"I'm so sorry, I must've lost track of the time," Princess Kayla said, and she followed the servant from the room, leaving Nico to process everything that had just happened.

* * *

The next day, Nico was still on edge. He liked Princess Kayla, but now she knew his secret, and he couldn't be certain if she was going to be able to keep it. At least it seemed like she wasn't going to think any less of him, based on what she'd said about Will, which was honestly a huge relief. He'd actually come to think of Kayla as a friend; probably the only real friend he'd had since Will.

For the second day in a row, Nico had spent most of his day searching for Kayla, and when he finally found her, she was reading on a lounge in the castle library.

"Hey," he sat beside her, "we're okay, right?" She put her book down and turned to him, looking perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"It's just..." he hesitated, "I don't want things to be weird between us. You're the first friend I've had in a long time. Well, there's Hazel, of course, but that's different."

"Why is that different?"

"Because I'm going to lose her." He surprised himself with the pain evident in his own voice, and Kayla immediately pulled him against her in a hug. Usually, when it was anyone but Will, he hated physical contact, but he found himself relaxing into her.

"When she gets married, she'll have to leave, just like how Will is going to have to leave again." He was having to blink back tears at this point, which was just as rare as physical contact for him.

"Again?"

"When we were younger we were caught together, and he was unofficially exiled." Nico said, and Kayla gasped softly.

"And," he continued, voice strained, "when I was a little kid, my older sister Bianca died in an accident. I suddenly became first in line, and it was also around then that I was told about Hazel's betrothal. It felt like I'd lost the two most important people in my life, and then, years later, I lost Will too. And now it feels like it's all happening again - like I'm going to lose you and... well, I knew from the start that Will couldn't stay." Kayla was quiet for a moment.

"Maybe it doesn't have to be like that," she said. He looked up at her, but she didn't meet his eye.

"Nico," she said, "what if we got married?" He jolted upright.

"_What?!_"

She laughed a little, but in a sort of sad way. "Nico, we both know that we're going to have to get married eventually. Why not to each other? We get along, and I can add Will to my team of personal servants who would stay here with me. I'm sure the three of us could come up with an arrangement where we'd be happy." He stared at her.

"You'd do that for me?"

"I'd do that for the three of us."

He ran a hand through his hair, and almost started laughing from the absurdity of it all. He'd never imagined he might have a marriage like that. At best he'd hoped for friendship and respect, but what Kayla was offering was so much more than he'd ever dreamed.

"Are we really doing this?" He asked, not entirely sure if he was addressing Kayla or himself.

"Yeah, I think we are," she grinned at him. He felt a surprising amount of resolve filling him, and he realised that a part of him had almost been expecting this outcome. He could see a future with Kayla - a future where he might actually be happy.

"Okay," Nico stood and held out a hand to her, "then it's time to talk to my father."


	9. Chapter 9

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Nine**

Nico and Kayla eventually found out from a servant that King Hades was in his private sitting room, and they entered the room slowly, unsure of what to say. Hades looked up from the chair he was in, then glanced down at their hands, which were still joined from when Nico had led Kayla through the castle. Nico's immediate instinct was to drop her hand, but considering what he was about to say, he held on tighter instead. 

"Father," Nico started, "Kayla and I were hoping to ask you-" 

"Princess Kayla," Hades cut him off, "please leave us. I need a moment to talk in private with my son." 

Kayla glanced uncertainly at Nico, then curtseyed to Hades and left the room. Nico turned to his father, buzzing with new nerves. He didn't know what his father had to tell him that Kayla couldn't hear, but he was almost certain he wouldn't like it. 

"What did you want to talk to me about, Father?" 

"Certain rumours have been circling around the palace…" Hades said, and Nico immediately stiffened. This wasn't about Will, was it? Had someone other than Kayla seen them? 

"What kind of rumours?" Nico tried to keep his voice even, but he was sure he sounded vaguely like someone was strangling him. 

"I hear that King Poseidon is considering stepping down," Hades said, and fixed Nico with a long look. For his part, Nico just stared back at his father, wondering what that had to do with anything. 

"If he does," Hades continued, "then Duke Perseus would take the throne as king, and Lady Annabeth would be his queen. I'd like to secure an alliance with Queen Athena's kingdom before that happens. If it ever comes to a war against the Sky Kingdom, the Sea Kingdom will surely side with King Zeus, and I want to know that I would have the legendary battle strategists of Queen Athena's kingdom at my disposal." Nico began to feel sick, sensing where his father was going with this. 

"You want me to marry Lady Bea," Nico said, his voice thick. 

"If you marry Lady Bea then we will have a stronger alliance with Athena's kingdom than King Poseidon does, as Duke Percy isn't the prince, though he is heir apparent to the throne; whereas you are both. Lady Bea's authority as queen would be far greater guaranteed than Lady Annabeth's." 

"But Lady Bea is heir to the Olive throne now, surely Queen Athena would never agree to this," Nico said, though he knew he was grasping at straws. Queen Athena had plenty of other children, and Lady Bea's new position only made her a more valuable bargaining chip. 

"The arrangements have already been made with Queen Athena. You will marry Lady Bea in a month's time." 

"What? Father, I can't!" Hades glared at him, but Nico continued, "I came here to ask your permission to marry Princess Kayla." 

"It's too late for that now, Nico. The engagement was finalised last night when you disappeared instead of coming to dinner. Lady Bea was thrilled, so show some enthusiasm." King Hades said, appearing increasingly agitated with Nico's protests. 

"But you didn't even ask me first, you can't do this!" 

"It's already _done_!" Hades yelled, and Nico flinched. "You can't stop this, Nico. The sooner you accept that, the better." 

Nico looked around the room helplessly, wanting to argue the point but knowing it was useless. He knew from experience that once his father made his mind up about something, he never changed it.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Ten**

That night, Nico arrived in the dining room to find his father, Hazel, Queen Athena, Lady Bea, King Apollo, and Princess Kayla waiting for him. The moment he sat down beside Lady Bea - the only available seat - she turned to him and grinned expectantly, though Nico didn't know what she was expecting. Choosing to ignore her, he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not knowing where to look.

Earlier that day, after his father had told him he'd be marrying Lady Bea, he'd fled to his room, overwhelmed by everything that had happened over the last few days, and he was coming to regret that now. Princess Kayla was sitting across from him, shooting him quizzical looks, and he wished there was some way he could telepathically tell her about his father and Lady Bea, and apologise for not telling her earlier. Unfortunately, all he could do was focus on his drink and avoid eye contact with anyone.

As if he wasn't already on edge enough, a small troupe of servants entered the room and began topping up drinks and serving the appetisers - and _of course_ one of those servants was Will. Nico briefly considered stabbing himself with his steak knife, just for any reason to be anywhere but there.

King Hades cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the entire room, and said, "The reason I've asked you all to join us tonight is to share a very exciting announcement." Nico noticed Lady Bea straighten and grin, trying once again to catch his eye.

"It is my pleasure," Hades continued, "to announce the engagement of Prince Nico to Lady Bea."

There was a clang in the corner of the room as Will stumbled and dropped a metal jug, and Nico flinched. To his side, Lady Bea was beaming, while across from him Princess Kayla was gaping at him with obvious betrayal in her eyes, and Hazel was glancing between all three of them in confusion. At least no one was paying attention to Will's blunder.

"Well, congratulations," said King Apollo, though it was obvious this wasn't the outcome he had been hoping for, "I suppose you'll be needing your space soon in order to begin planning the wedding?"

"Yes," said Hades, "but please don't feel that you're overstaying your welcome. Your court may stay as long as you like." Everyone at the table knew that Hades wanted them gone now that he no longer had a use for their presence, of course.

"Nonsense, my court and I will leave the moment the engagement is publicly announced."

Nico clenched his jaw, immediately on edge again. That could be anywhere from hours to weeks from now, but either way it meant he was going to lose Kayla and Will, and soon.

* * *

Nico was heading back to his room after dinner when he was cornered by Princess Kayla, who looked livid. Before he could say anything, she shoved him into a hidden alcove with far more force than was strictly necessary.

"What was that?!" She demanded, "What happened to our agreement? What, you just told me that you wanted to marry me and then changed your mind, and didn't even have the courtesy to tell me? What is wrong with you?!"

Nico swallowed thickly, staring at his shoes, "My father forced me into an engagement with Lady Bea. I tried to tell him I wanted to marry you, but he wouldn't listen." Princess Kayla was silent for a moment.

"It's because Prince Malcolm died, isn't it?" She asked, much quieter this time.

"That was part of it, yeah."

She pressed her lips together, then sighed. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said, "I was just worried you'd changed your mind about Will. I don't want him to get hurt."

"He's lucky to have you looking out for him," Nico said, reminded of how Bianca used to take care of him. It was probably weird for the person you'd been planning on marrying to remind you of your dead sister, but then, Nico's personal life had never exactly been normal.

"You need to talk to him about all of this," Kayla said, and though Nico dreaded that conversation, he knew she was right. He owed Will an explanation for everything that had happened over the last few days.

"Do you know where he is?" He asked.

"I'm pretty sure he's working in the stables again."

* * *

Nico found Will carrying a bale of hay toward one of the stalls, but Will froze in place the moment he saw him. He put down the bale of hay and moved closer, though there was an uncertainty written across his face that hurt Nico to see. They both avoided eye contact, and when the silence became unbearably awkward, Will cleared his throat.

"Listen," he said, "I knew this was going to happen eventually so, uh..." Will trailed off, his breath hitching, and Nico winced.

"Hey, I just... I need you to know that this isn't what I wanted," Nico said, fighting against an unexpected warble in his voice, "my father forced me into the engagement."

"I know, Nico, it's okay," Will said, but they both knew it wasn't.

"I just didn't want you to think that what happened between us didn't mean anything, or that I knew this would happen at the time, or anything like that," Nico was aware of the fact that he was starting to ramble, but he couldn't stop himself, and Will deserved to know all this anyway. "I talked to Princess Kayla after she caught us, and she said that since she didn't want to get married anyway, I could marry her so that you and I could stay together."

"Wait, what?" Will asked, looking stunned.

"Uh," Nico shifted nervously, struggling to believe he'd been stupid enough not to run the plan by Will first, "look, I know I should've talked to you about this sooner, but Princess Kayla and I were going to ask my father for his permission to get married, and she was going to offer to keep you here as one of her personal servants."

"You were going to do that... to be with me?"

"Well, yeah, that was the plan, but-" Nico was cut off by Will grabbing him by the collar and kissing him. Nico gasped against his lips, then, unable to resist, he closed his eyes and leaned into him. Will's hands moved up to his neck as Nico pulled him closer by the waist, then as Will began pressing his lips against Nico's more insistently, he ran his hands through Nico's hair, making him shiver against him. After a long time, they separated, and rested their foreheads against each other as they caught their breath. Nico studied Will's face, filling with warmth at the sight of the blush spread across his cheeks, and the way he was looking at him - like Nico was the only important person in the world. No one had ever looked at him like that before.

Nico withdrew, forcing himself to put some distance between them, and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm engaged to Lady Bea now, and my father's never going to change his mind." Will nodded, blinking rapidly.

"I know," Will said. He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Do you know when the engagement is going to be announced, and I'll have to leave?"

"I don't know for sure, but it won't be longer than a week or two," Nico said, and a heavy silence fell between them, until he heard Will drawing in a breath, as though steeling himself for what he was about to say.

"Can I... Can I see you again before then?"

Nico looked up sharply, then stared into Will's eyes and found that he was still giving him _that look_ \- the look that made Nico feel like he was melting. There was just so much affection and longing in Will's gaze that all Nico could think about was pulling him into another kiss.

"Yeah," Nico breathed, before he could stop himself. He knew that he was going into dangerous territory, and that this was a terrible idea that was only going to make it far more painful when they inevitably had to say goodbye, but Will broke out into a grin so heart-stopping that Nico couldn't bring himself to care.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Eleven**

Nico and Will had arranged to meet the next day in the castle garden, which was so lush that most of the castle residents referred to it as a forest - the perfect place to get away from prying eyes. As he was heading toward the large double doors leading to the castle grounds, something latched onto his arm. He jumped and looked around to find Lady Bea clinging to him. Great.

"Uh, hey Lady Bea," he forced a smile, whilst attempting to subtly shift his arm out of her grip. 

"Oh, Nico, there's no need for you to be so formal," she giggled, "you can just call me Bea - we are engaged, after all!" 

"Right." Nico smiled uncomfortably, "Listen, I actually have to be somewhere, and-" 

"Sorry, but whatever it is will just have to wait," Lady Bea cut him off, "I already organised for us to have tea with your sister in the conservatory - to make up for that time we were interrupted." Her gaze darkened at the mention of the day Princess Kayla had saved Nico from one of the worst afternoon teas of his life. 

"That's... very sweet, Lad-, um, Bea," he said, ignoring how she beamed at the use of her name, "but I really do have somewhere I need to be." 

"Nonsense," she said, "I already checked with your father, and he said you had nothing scheduled for this afternoon." 

"Well, er..." Nico had no idea what to say to that, seeing as his father was, of course, not exactly privy to his and Will's plans. 

"Come on," Lady Bea grinned, dragging him down the corridor toward the conservatory, "your sister's waiting!" 

Before he could fully process what was happening, Nico found himself sitting across from his sister at a small table set with tea and biscuits, where he spent his time picking at his food but not really eating any of it. Lady Bea had positioned her chair so that she was sitting just close enough to make Nico deeply uncomfortable, but not quite close enough that she was technically being inappropriate. 

Hazel had been watching Nico carefully for the entire time they'd been there, and he'd done his best not to show how badly he wanted to leave - he could only imagine what Will was thinking, waiting for him to show up. What if he thought he'd changed his mind? 

Nico shifted in his seat, struggling not to let out his restless energy. Oblivious to his discomfort, Lady Bea had talked non-stop the entire time they'd been there, and honestly, Nico hadn't heard any of it. They were eventually interrupted by one of the servants from Athena's kingdom knocking politely, and popping her head in. 

"Lady Bea, your tutor is asking for you," the girl said. 

"Ugh, tell him I'm busy." 

"I'm sorry, my lady, but your mother has already instructed the staff not to allow you to skip any more of your lessons." Lady Bea huffed, and Nico raised an eyebrow at her. 

"I might have forgotten to mention this to my tutor," she said, smiling innocently up at him. The servant hovered in the doorway until it became apparent that Lady Bea wasn't intent on joining her. 

"My lady, you are already late," the servant said, and Lady Bea let out a dramatic sigh. 

"I guess this can't be avoided," she said, smiling apologetically at Nico as she joined the girl in the hallway, "but I'm sure the three of us can catch up again soon." Lady Bea was smiling even as she closed the door behind her, but it did little to mask her obvious irritation at having to leave. 

"So, what's going on with you and Princess Kayla?" Hazel asked, catching Nico off guard the moment they were alone. 

"Um, what do you mean?" 

Hazel gave him a look. "I thought you liked her." 

"Yeah, but not in a romantic way." 

Hazel raised a skeptical eyebrow, and Nico coughed nervously. 

"If you don't have feelings for her, then why did she tell me before dinner last night that you two were planning on getting engaged?" 

Nico stiffened in his seat. 

"Seriously," Hazel continued, "what happened? It's pretty obvious to everyone but Lady Bea that you can't stand her." 

"It's not that I _can't stand_ Lady Bea, she just makes me a little uncomfortable sometimes," Nico said, but Hazel just crossed her arms, clearly unimpressed by his obvious dodge. He sighed, and continued, "Look, Kayla and I were only planning on getting married because neither of us has any actual interest in marriage, and we get along pretty well, okay?" Hazel studied him for a long moment, not seeming to fully believe him. 

"But, do you think you could develop feelings for her someday?" She pressed. 

"No," Nico smiled wryly to himself, "but, it doesn't matter anyway. I have to marry Lady Bea - Father is making me." He watched Hazel's eyes fill with understanding, then sadness. He fidgeted in his chair again. 

"Anyway, there's actually somewhere I really have to be, so..." He tried to wait politely for her response, but was already halfway out of his chair. 

"Lady Bea said you don't have anything scheduled for this afternoon," Hazel narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Something came up." He said, then bolted from the room before she could question him further. 

He cringed to himself the entire walk to the forest garden, knowing that he couldn't keep his secrets from Hazel for much longer. She was too good at reading him, and now that she knew something was definitely up, he doubted she was going to drop it anytime soon. 

Nico wandered among the trees, quietly calling Will's name. They hadn't set a definitive meeting point within the woods, and his heart was beginning to pound as he wondered if Will was even still in there. Nico was very late, after all. Then, he rounded a tree and saw Will walking nearby, seeming to be looking for him. He looked up, noticing Nico's arrival, and a brilliant light entered his eyes as he smiled. 

"Follow me," Will said immediately, taking Nico's hand, then turning and leading him through the forest. Nico tried to focus on anything other than the feeling of Will's hand around his, but he couldn't ignore the electricity in his fingers. Heat in his cheeks, he forced himself to look at the trees around them, and it wasn't long before he realised where Will was taking him. 

A moment later, his suspicions were confirmed, as they pushed their way through a few branches and found themselves on the bank of a lake. Trees surrounded the edges of the lake, reflected in the visible patches of the water, which was almost entirely covered in lily pads. It was incredibly hard to believe, sometimes, that all this was contained within the outer walls of the palace. 

Nico looked down, noticing that Will was still holding his hand. Will followed the look, and Nico immediately looked away, cheeks on fire. 

"Are you blushing just because I'm holding your hand?" Will asked, and though Nico refused to look at him, he was certain the jerk was grinning. Will tugged him closer, and used his other hand to tilt Nico's head so he had to look at him. Nico looked up, and watched Will's gaze soften. For one, heart-stopping moment, Nico thought Will was about to kiss him, but then he looked away. 

"Uh, Nico..." Will started, still not looking at him. Nico mimicked him, tilting his head back to face him. 

"Yeah?" 

Will scanned his face, looking nervous, and Nico's stomach churned. Will was usually unfailingly confident and calm, but in that moment, he looked like he was gathering all his strength for something. 

"Look, I know this is... kind of ridiculous," Will said, "considering that we were only relatively recently reunited after years apart, and that you're engaged..." Nico flinched at the reminder. 

"But," Will continued, "it honestly feels like those years apart never happened. To me, at least." He blushed and gave Nico a searching look, and he nodded in agreement. 

"You were my best friend for such a long time, and I've had feelings for you for most of that, but now..." 

Nico held his breath, not sure where Will was going with this. Nico watched him suck in a deep breath, then Will looked him in the eyes. 

"Nico," he said, "I love you." 

Nico gaped at him, certain that now his entire face was bright red. Will... loved him? His heart fluttered. 

"I don't want you to feel pressured to say it back, or anything. I, uh, just wanted you to know." Will said, looking away and running a hand through his hair. Nico watched, transfixed, as the light from the sun and lake made his hair shine. Did Nico love him back? 

"I've never been the most in touch with my feelings," Nico said, and Will smiled affectionately, "but... I know I've never felt this way about anyone else." Not even Percy, and that guy had been _hot_. 

"I guess what I'm trying to say is," Nico looked up at him, "I love you too." 

Will beamed - the most brilliant, glowing smile Nico had ever seen on him - and pulled Nico into a kiss.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Prince's Heart**

**Leila Rivers**

**Chapter Twelve**

Nico was wandering through the palace that night, brushing some residual dirt from his jacket and hoping it wasn't obvious he'd been in the forest earlier, when Kayla appeared in front of him, looking frantic.

"Nico, I need to talk to you," she said, with an urgent look in her eyes. Not giving him a chance to respond, she grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the palace, until they came to a deserted corridor. Glancing around, Kayla shoved him into an empty room, then quickly followed.

"Kayla, what's going on?" Nico asked, starting to panic a little, though he had no idea what was going on.

"We need to get Will out of here, tonight." She said, again staring at him with that intense look.

"What?"

"King Apollo is starting to figure him out, I'm positive," Kayla said, now pacing the room with a frantic look on her face. "We need to smuggle him out of the kingdom before it's too late."

"Woah, back up, why do we need to do that? What does King Apollo have against Will?" Nico asked, feeling increasingly bewildered. Kayla just turned to him with a pained look.

"Listen, Nico, the thing about Will is..."

"What?"

"...He's my brother."

Nico stared at her for a long moment. "Uh, are we talking about the same Will? The servant from my kingdom?" She let out a weighted sigh, looking more stressed and upset than he'd ever seen her.

"Before my father had me, he had an illegitimate son with a duchess. Will is my brother," she hesitated, "well, half-brother."

Nico gaped at her. "Please tell me this is a joke."

"It's not. Will's mother knew the king had to hide his infidelity, and she knew that Will would be killed if anyone found out about him. As Apollo's first-born, and being of noble blood, Will has a claim to the throne, you see." She sighed heavily, "so, Will's mother sent him to your kingdom. She knew he'd be a servant and an orphan, but it was better than being dead."

Nico was still staring at her, mouth open, as he struggled to process everything he was being told. Will, a noble? It was impossible. It was ridiculous. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more it almost made sense – the familiarity Nico felt in Kayla's blue eyes; the protective, sisterly way she acted towards Will...

"How long have you known?" He asked.

"Ever since Dowager Queen Demeter exiled him. His mother heard what happened and told me who he was. She begged me to find him a job serving our court, so he'd have somewhere to live again – she figured it had been long enough that Apollo wouldn't recognise him."

"Does Will know?"

"Yes, we told him a year ago."

_That must've been quite a surprise_, Nico thought.

"And he knows that Apollo is onto him?" He asked.

"Yeah, I just talked to him. He agrees that it's for the best if he leaves now."

Nico flinched. "He's, uh, he's leaving?" He did his best to hide the obvious hurt in his voice, but Kayla's face still softened, and she placed a hand on his arm. He wasn't usually bothered by Kayla's touch – unlike with most people – but he immediately shifted away from her.

"Nico," she withdrew her arm, "he doesn't want to leave you, but we both know that if he stays, it'd only be a matter of time before he'd be discovered and killed. Plus, he said that if anyone found out that you knew the truth and let him stay, you could lose your title."

Nico clenched his jaw, scowling at the floor as his blood boiled. _His title_. He didn't care about his damn title – it was his position as the crown prince that was keeping him from ever being with Will! All he'd ever been worried about losing was Hazel or Will – and it was becoming increasingly apparent that he could never have both in his life. Because he didn't have to lose Will, not really, not if…

"What if I went with him?"

Kayla's jaw dropped. "What?"

"What if I left the kingdom with Will?" He knew that what he was suggesting was a terrible thing, really. With him gone, Hazel would become the heir overnight – all the horrible responsibilities he'd had to shoulder for almost his entire life would fall on her. The worst part was, he knew exactly what that was like; it had happened to him when Bianca died. How could he even consider doing that to her?

His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by Kayla pulling him into a crushing hug. He couldn't deny the guilt circling in his gut, but at the same time, a part of him had always known that he would never be happy in the life that had been set out for him. Maybe Hazel would be able to understand that.

"So," he pulled out of the hug, "how are we supposed to get Will out of the kingdom?" Kayla let out a breath, clearly relieved she had someone to help her now.

"I have a plan, but we're going to need your sister's help," she said.

"Wha- Hazel? Why?" He felt his heart begin beating rapidly, already beginning to panic at the thought of facing his sister.

"The emergency exit route from her room opens into the kitchens, and I think the only escape plan that will work is to go through the tunnel by those kitchens. Hazel's the only person with a key who I think would help."

"Why don't we just use the route from my room? It opens straight into a tunnel that I have the key for."

She shook her head, "I already looked into that – your dad has guards posted where your tunnel lets out."

Nico reeled back, stunned and frustrated with his father. He knew the king was aware of the fact that he didn't want to marry Lady Bea, but did he really think he was going to just run off in the night? …But then again, he was currently making plans to run off in the night.

"I guess taking Hazel's tunnel would make more sense, but…" he trailed off.

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind." He sucked in a deep breath, "I'll ask her to help us."

* * *

Nico knocked on Hazel's bedroom door, feeling vaguely nauseous. He had no idea what he was going to tell her. What possible excuse could he give that would justify him leaving forever? It wasn't like he could tell her about Will… Well, maybe he could. But what if he told her and she was horrified, and refused to help? He couldn't risk that – Will would be killed if he stayed in the kingdom much longer.

Nico jumped when the door swung open, and Hazel appeared in front of him, already in her pyjamas.

"Nico." She looked him up and down, noting his nervousness, "Are you here to finally tell me what's been going on with you, lately? Like, why you were in the forest today?"

"What?" He gaped at her.

She crossed her arms, "You were acting strange, so I followed you out of the conservatory. I saw you going into the forest."

"Did… did you follow me in there?"

"No." She narrowed her eyes at him, suspicion evident in her voice, "_Why_? What were you doing?" Nico shifted uncomfortably on his feet, avoiding her gaze.

"Um, can I come in?" He asked, gesturing toward her bedroom, knowing that what was coming was really a conversation they needed more privacy for – not that anyone was going to be in that hallway at that time of night, anyway. Still, he'd paid the price for his own lack of caution too many times before.

Hazel stepped aside, letting him into her room and closing the door behind them. He paced in a slow circle, before turning to face her again, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Hazel… please don't think any differently of me after this, but… I need a favour." He dared to look up at her, and saw that her expression had morphed into worry.

"Nico, is everything okay?" She asked, looking him over as though she could somehow see what was bothering him. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, but… someone else is."

She cocked her head, still eyeing him suspiciously. "Go on."

"Do you know that servant, Will, from Apollo's kingdom?"

"The blond one, right?" She asked, and he nodded. "Yeah, I've noticed him around. There's something weirdly familiar about him."

"Yeah, well," Nico swallowed, "that's probably because he used to work here. We were pretty close friends, actually." Hazel's eyebrows jutted up, her jaw going slack. On any other day, Nico might've been a little offended that his sister was that surprised to learn that he'd had a close friend. To be fair, though, he had always been a loner.

"Seriously, Nico, what's going on?"

Nico took a deep breath, steeling himself, and explained the situation to her as briefly as he could. He didn't mention his feelings for Will, and he glossed over why he'd been banished in the first place – which ultimately left him in a difficult position. He told Hazel the plan to smuggle Will out of the castle, and her role in it, but he had no idea how to explain to her that he was intending on leaving with him.

"Where will he go?" Hazel asked, when Nico was done.

"Kayla is on good terms with Percy and Annabeth," he said, "she's going to send Will to the Sea Kingdom, with a note from her asking them to protect him."

Hazel raised a dubious eyebrow. "You think they'll believe him?"

"She's going to put her royal seal on it." Nico said, skipping over the part where he'd be there too. He had an admittedly rocky relationship with the Sea prince – mostly due to his own tendency of being rude to him, as a way of pushing him away – but he knew that Percy and Annabeth were good people. He had to believe they'd help him.

"Alright," Hazel said, "let's sneak a servant out of the castle."

He smiled, and considered leaving the conversation at that. He'd thank her for agreeing to help, and then disappear into the night. He cringed, and clenched his fists. No. Hazel deserved to know the truth.

All of it.


End file.
